There are numerous fictional creatures that we would welcome the opportunity to see in person. There’s an unlimited assortment of fanciful monsters to pick from, from crowd-pleasing unicorns to Greek mythology’s sphinxes, we just love them all. If you recall Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter and other fantasy movies, the only creature that gives us a thrill would be dragons!
Of course, we want dragons in our life more than we want to avoid the fire threats that come with them, but they’re not the safest creatures to have around. So, what if you wanted to meet a big dragon spitting massive volumes of churning flame in real life? Of course, you’d go to Russia!
Picture: Ishvetsov
The Lipetsk safari park “Kudykina Gora” is situated on the steep bank of the Don in the attractive hilly surroundings of the village of Kamenka in the Zadonsk area. From the route, the traveler may see a panorama of breathtaking beauty: wooded hills, the Kamenka River, neat churches, and village buildings. As the traveler approaches the park, the massive sculptures of the Trojan horse and the Bull stand majestically near the road itself, above the ravine. You can even enter via the doors.
In recent years, the village of Kamenka in Russia’s Lipetsk region has earned notoriety as the home of Zmei Gorynich, a gigantic three-headed statue. The dragon appears to be a frighteningly gorgeous representation of one of Slavic folklore’s most famous antagonists.
Picture: Russia Beyond
The dragon statue is part of the Kudykina Gora theme park, which has a lot of fun things to do. Due to the Zmei Gorynich statue, Kudykina has become a popular tourist site. Vladimir Kolesnikov, a Ukrainian sculptor, produced it. Zmei is around 15 metres tall and resembles a terrifying three-headed monster. Oh, and the dragon does, in fact, breathe fire.
Picture: Ishvetsov
Work on this real-life Zmei Gorynich began in 2015 and it took two years of hard effort to bring this life-size dragon from concept to reality. After two years, the raging beast was finally on display for all to observe and admire. It’s perched on a mound in the heart of Kudykina Gora Park.
During its development in 2017, the statue’s photos received over a million likes. It is now one of Kamenka village’s greatest attractions. The allure of witnessing the beast in all its magnificence, on the other hand, draws tens of thousands of tourists each year. It spat flames from all three of its jaws, leaving plumes of black smoke in its wake.
Picture: Ishvetsov
The statue, which is primarily built of iron and concrete, stands atop a small mound in the middle of the Kudykina Gora family park, showing the terrible serpent-like beast in all of its terrifying glory.
Even before it was finished in 2017, photos of the then-wingless Zmei Gorynich went viral on social media, receiving over one million likes on Facebook alone and luring tourists to Kamenka hamlet. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit the park each year to see this real-life dragon.
You’ll have to travel 400 kilometres from Moscow along the M4 Don highway to see this amazing statue of Zmei Gorynich. The public is welcome to visit the 500-hectare Kudykina Gora family park, which offers a variety of activities for people of all ages.
This park is ideal for a weekend with the family. In addition, the park is full of architectural marvels, ranging from an old city to the “Zmei Gorynych” monument of a massive dragon, allowing you to immerse yourself in a fairy tale-like existence.
Sources: Oddity Central, Wonderful Engineering, Russian Beyond, Ishvetsov, Nerdist
